ensuring smooth transitions into adulthood

Prevention of youth homelessness:

Introducing an aftercare guarantee for

youth leaving state care

Catherine Maher and Mike Allen – Focus Ireland reland

This Presentation

• Care and Aftercare in Ireland

• Focus Ireland’s Aftercare Model

• The Challenges

• Aftercare Assessment Guarantee

Care and aftercare in Ireland

Children in State care

• 6,466 children in state care

• 93% in foster care

• 6% in residential care

• 1% other

Young people in Aftercare Ireland: 2013

Focus Ireland’s Aftercare Model

Grew out of recognition of high number of care leavers among homeless

This is not a homeless service

• Care leavers are defined under Ethos

6. People due to be released from institutions

6.3 Childrens institutions/homes

Preventative Service targetting the small number of young people at risk of homelessness

Complex needs

Frequently from Residential Care or multiple foster placement

The first phase

‘Young Women’s Aftercare Project (1989)

• 4 bedrooms for young women who had been in care

and experienced street homelessness

• ‘Shared Living Model’

• Staff on-site, shared cooking arrangements

• Experience showed this model did not

progress towards independent living skills.

The Second Phase

‘On-Site Residential Supported Housing’

Independent units

24 hour on-site case management support

Support plans - towards independent living

Up to 9 months

‘Visiting Support in Private Rented’ model

For young people with greater capacity

24 hour on-call case management support

‘Visiting Support in FI-owned premises

Provides greater sustainability: tolerant landlord

Focus Ireland Aftercare stats 2013

Residential

North Dublin 14

South Dublin 19

Waterford 11

TOTAL 44

Visiting Support

North Dublin 42

South Dublin 77

Limerick 12

Waterford 19

TOTAL 150

So what is the problem?

• Insufficient resources: waiting

lists and ‘post-code lottery

• Lack of

• Access to Education

• Access to Employment

• Personal finances

• Housing…..

So what was the answer?

• Create a legal right to aftercare

– the state ‘shall’ (not MAY) provide

aftercare

• Campaigned for ten years for this

legislative change

• Government responded with commitment

to “a right to assessment for all”

Eligibility for the Aftercare Assessment

A child, aged 16/17,

who had been in care for 12 consecutive months

Or has been in care on a number of occasions

totalling at least 12 months

Or between 18 and 21 and

who was an eligible child but a care plan was not

prepared, or who did not engage with the plan on

reaching 18

there has been a significant change in their

circumstances e.g. children who leave care to return

home and then arrangements break down

Limitations of assessment guarantee

• It doesn’t guarantee resources

• If assessment were to have legal power then authorities respond by underestimating young people’s needs

• If assessment were to have too little authority it would be meaningless

• Needs to have legal power to command resources

• Provides support for advocates

Promoting a European Guarantee

• Existing Youth Guarantee does little for

young people at risk of homelessness

• Careleavers are at risk of

homelessness all over EU

• EU should take the lead in ‘parental’

role

• We can build on the Irish progress

• FEANTSA should adopt this campaign